OKC Thunder Resiliency Continues to Shine Throughout Injury Woes

On multiple ocassions the Thunder have played without its best players yet somehow, they still manage to walk away with wins.

Nov 27, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) shoots as Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) defends during the first half at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn Images

Injuries happen in professional sports all the time, and that's directly applicable to the beginning of the 2024 season for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

OKC has now been without forwards Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams for an extended period, center Isaiah Hartenstein just came back from injury and French forward Ousmane Dieng recently fractured his finger, leaving him out for three weeks.

Injuries have plagued the the first 18 games for the Thunder, yet, they still have one of the best records in the NBA. That doesn't just speak to the squads talent and skill, but also its resiliency.

This point was proved in Oklahoma City's 105-101 win over the Golden State Warriors. Early in the game, star guard Jalen Williams was hit in the eye and could not return. His scoring was missed down the stretch of that matchup and though OKC walked away with a victory, Golden State pushed them to their limit.

With 5:24 left in the second quarter star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his team ahead by 19 points and even without Williams, the Thunder were finding ways to score. After that time stamp, Golden State quickly closed the gap and made the final two quarters a challenge. Gilgeous-Alexander went cold for a small stretch and the Warriors increased its defensive intensity, taking the lead multiple times in the fourth quarter. Gilgeous-Alexander eventually found his footing and led his team to victory, but missing Williams' scoring in that stretch of the game was vital.

One of Oklahoma City's best defenders, guard Alex Caruso, missed the entirety of the Thunder's gritty win over the Warriors. Not only was Daigneault without his second-leading scorer but also arguably his best on-ball defender. Consequentially, they did not have the best defensive game. That being said, the OKC defense did just enough to secure a win.

Holmgren and Hartenstein's absence, until Hartenstein's return, left OKC scrambling for a method toward victory without a big man. Luckily, head coach Mark Daigneault's squad is one of the best defensive teams in the NBA and they did what they did best: Adapt. Offensively, the Thunder ran a five-out offense and scrambled on defense to stop opposing forwards and centers. They showed that, even without a center, they had the stamina and adaptability to beat anyone without Holmgren.

OKC won five games and lost two without Holmgren and now that they have Hartenstein back, they can play more traditionally with its new German big man in the middle. Williams' injury does not appear to be significant and should be back for OKC's next matchup against Los Angeles on Friday, Nov. 29 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

There's no doubt that injuries will happen again, big and small, throughout OKC's season. Now, just under 20 games into its new campaign towards an NBA title, the Thunder know they can find ways to win when its best players are injured.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.